A general object of the present invention is to provide a seat for assisting a user in transferring into and out of a bathtub that is economical to manufacture, that is durable in use, that may be readily folded and unfolded by a user, and that may be readily assembled at a tub for use and removed to afford full access to the tub or for storage when not in use.
A foldable bathtub seat in accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a plurality of elongated parallel generally rectangular slats (i.e., at least two) interconnected by hinges such that the slats are foldable to a configuration in which the slats are in stacked facing engagement parallel to each other and unfoldable to a configuration in which the slats are in a planar array. A rider at one end of each of the slats cooperates with a track affixed to a wall adjacent to a bathtub rim such that the slats are foldably and unfoldably supported by the bathtub rim while extending across the rim. In the unfolded configuration, the coplanar slats form a transfer seat supported along one end by the track affixed to the wall, and along the other end by the wall-remote edge of the bathtub rim. In the folded configuration, the seat may be readily removed for full access to the tub.
The track in the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a length of channel stock of stainless steel composition, for example, carried at opposed ends by support blocks that are fastened to the wall. The upper edge of the channel stock is spaced from the wall to receive the slat riders. The length of the channel and separation between the support blocks is greater than the width of the slat array, so that there is room for limited sliding motion of the slat array along the length of the track. Tongues on the support blocks engage grooves on the opposed rider to prevent removal of the end slat that abuts a support block. Friction pads beneath the wall-remote ends of the slats help prevent sliding along the tub rim. The slat hinges comprise hinge pins in the slats and hinge clips pivotally embracing the hinge pins in adjacent slats. Preferably, the slats are of molded plastic composition, with the hinge pins being molded therein.